It’s Our Future has condemned today’s announcement of an agreement-in-principle between New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

“When Labour came into Government we were told there was going to be a new approach to how we did these deals, however this deal seems to be surrounded in the same level of secrecy as the TPPA”, said It’s Our Future spokesperson Edward Miller.

“New Zealanders have not forgotten about Labour’s TPPA turnaround. The Government needs to release the text of this agreement in principle now so we can assess whether this is in our interest, and give us a real say on whether the deal is signed or not.”

Miller also noted that this deal goes much further than just market access for New Zealand’s primary products and could have serious consequences for people’s lives.

“The United Kingdom is one of the few remaining WTO members that still opposes a waiver of intellectual property rules for Covid-19 vaccines.”

“Currently the United Kingdom is acting as a barrier to equitable vaccine access for low-income countries, which, according to a recent UNCTAD report, could wipe $1.5 trillion off incomes in the Global South.”

“We are concerned that this deal will entrench those barriers instead of helping to break them down. We need to see the text to assess its consequences, and judge whether our Government considers it more important to support an equitable global vaccine rollout, or to reduce trade barriers with the countries that are blocking that rollout.”

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